Looking boldly ahead

At an awards ceremony held in New York, tourism minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said that tourism remained stable in South Africa in the midst of the 2008/2009 global financial crisis and the country stands out as a tourist destination in the world.

"Last year we grew at more than double the world average – 10.5% for January to November 2012, compared to a global average growth of four percent," he said "With growth rates of more than double the world average and quadruple the world average if one takes overseas visitors into account, we can look back very favourably on 2012."

"Visitors to South Africa stand in awe of how much this country has to offer, which includes the variety of experiences, the value for money, our world-class tourism infrastructure, and of course our culturally-diverse people."